15 min jumping rope burns 170–305 cal at moderate pace. 130 lb = 170, 155 lb = 205, 200 lb = 265, 230 lb = 305 cal. Free MET calculator + table.
Fifteen minutes of moderate jumping rope (MET 11.8) burns approximately 170–305 calories: a 130 lb person burns ~170 cal, a 155 lb person burns ~205 cal, a 200 lb person burns ~265 cal, and a 230 lb person burns ~305 cal.
Fifteen minutes is the sweet spot for a standalone rope workout — long enough to burn a meaningful calorie load, short enough that calf fatigue and rhythm breaks stay manageable. Boxers often run three 5-minute rope rounds with 1-minute rests, which fits neatly in this window. For fat loss, 15 minutes daily is one of the most time-efficient cardio prescriptions available.
Fifteen minutes of moderate rope burns about the same as a 15-minute run at 6 mph (~10-minute mile) and ~2.5× the calories of 15 minutes of brisk walking. Only vigorous cycling and running faster than 7 mph pull ahead on a per-minute basis.
A daily 15-minute rope session burns ~1,400 calories per week for a 155 lb person — roughly 0.4 lb of fat before diet changes. Split it into 3 rounds of 5 minutes with brief rests if continuous jumping is too demanding at first.
Direct answer: 15 minutes of jumping rope burns an estimated 174–307 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~242 kcal). Intensity assumed: Moderate (100–120 skips/min) (MET 11.8). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~174 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~207 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~242 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~274 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~307 cal |
Example: At MET 11.8, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing 15 minutes of jumping rope burns approximately 242 calories: 11.8 × 82 × 0.25 h ≈ 242 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 15 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Slow (under 100 skips/min) | 8.8 | ~180 cal |
| Fast (over 120 skips/min) | 12.3 | ~252 cal |
An estimated 174–307 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 242 kcal, calculated as MET 11.8 × 82 kg × 0.25 hours.
About 16.1 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 3.0 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 174 kcal here versus 307 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 76% spread for the identical session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Individual results commonly land within about ±15% of the figure shown; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the jumping rope calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.